This invention relates generally to seats for motor vehicle seats, and relates more specifically to a seat that folds to provide a flat surface.
Many motor vehicles, particularly sport utility vehicles and minivans, are equipped with rear seats that can be moved from a seating configuration, in which passengers can sit in the seat, to a so-called xe2x80x9cload floorxe2x80x9d configuration where the back support of the seat is folded downwardly to assume a horizontal orientation and thereby facilitate cargo stowage. Typically, locking mechanisms are provided for holding the seat in the seating configuration, and the locking mechanisms can be released to permit moving the seat to the load floor configuration.
A variety of designs have also been proposed to provide a seat that facilitates ingress to and egress from the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,389 shows a stowable seat having a cantilevered seatbase with a range of motion extending from a horizontally deployed position to a vertically stowed position.
The present invention is a seat assembly for a motor vehicle. The seat assembly comprises at least one J-shaped bracket movable toward and away from a front of the vehicle, a pivot rod engaging the at least one J-shaped bracket, and a seat cushion frame connected to the at least one J-shaped bracket. At least one link is attached to the seat frame and attached to the floor of the vehicle, and at least one guide bracket is mounted to the vehicle floor. The guide bracket has an arcuate slot engagable with the pivot rod as the J-shaped bracket moves toward the front of the vehicle to pivot the J-shaped bracket.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a seat assembly of the type described above which can be moved to a seating configuration and to a load floor configuration.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly of the type described above that enables easier ingress and egress for back row seat occupants.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly of the type described above which is easy to use and cost-effective.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the invention rather than limiting, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.